The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1887-09-23

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some reason Of her WI she thought II
hest to submit.
The fire in the cave was an unusually big
one that night, and in a large circle round
It were gathered about thirty-ive men and
Two women, Ustane and the woman to
avoid whom Job had played the role Of
another Scriptural character. The men
were sitting In perfect silence, as was their
custom, each with his great spear stuck
upright behind him, in a socket cut in the
rock, for that purpose. Only one or two
wore the yellowish linen garment Of which
I have spoken; the rest had nothing on ex-
cept the leopard's skin about the middle.
whats up now, sira" said job, doubt
fully. "Bless Us and save us, there's that
woman againl Now surely she can't be
after me. seeing that I have given her no
encouragement. They give me the crecps,
the whole lot Of them, and that's q fact.
Why, look, they have asked Mahomed to
dine, too. There, that lady Of mine is
talking to him in as nice and civil q way
- possible. Well, I'm glad 1t isn't me,
that's ALL"
We looked up, and sure enough the
woman in question had risen, and was es-
corting the wretch Mahomed from the cor
uer. where, overcome by some acute pro-
science Of horror, he had been seated, shiv-
sring, and calling OF Allah. He appeared
unwilling enough to come, If for no other
reason, perhaps, because it was an unac-
customed honor, for hitherto his food had
been given to him apart. Anyway, Icould
see that he was in a state Of great terror,
for his tottering legs would scarcely sup.
port his stout, bulky form, and I think il
was rather owing to the of bar
bartsm behind him, in the shape of a huge
Amnhagger with u proportionatcly huge
spear, than to tho seduction Of the lady
who led him by the hand, that he consent
ed to come at ALL"
"NNell," l said to the others, "I don't at
all like the look of things, but suppose
that we must face It u Have you fell
low got your r%evolvers on? Because, If
so, you had better see that they IRE loaded"
II have, sir" said Job, tapping his Colt,
"but Mr.. Leo has only got his hunting
knife, though that is big enough, surely"
Feeling that it would not do to wait
While the missing weapon was fetched, we
advanced boldly. and seated ourselves in a
line, with our backs against the side Of the
cave.
AS soon as we were seated, an earthen-
ware jar was passed round containing o
fermented fluid, Of by no means unpleas-
n taste, though apt to turn upon the
stomach, made Of crushed grain-not Ind
tan-c0rn, but q small brown grain that
grows upon the stem in clusters, not un-
that which in the southern part of AT
RIGA is known by the name Of Kaflr-corn.
The vase in which this liquid was handed
round was very curious, and as it more or
less resembled many hundreds of others in
use among the Amahaggcr, l may as well
describe 1t. These vases are of q very an
Gent manufacture, and of all sizes. Mono
such can have been made in the country
for hundreds, or rather thousands, of years.
They are found nthe rock tombs, of which
I shall give q description in their propcr
place, and my own belief is that, after tho
fashion of the Egyptians. with whom the
former inhabitants OF this country may
have had some connection, they were used
to receive tho viscera of the dead. Leo.
however, is of the opinion that, like the
Etruscan amphore, they were merely
placed there for the spiritual use of the
deceased. They are mostly t%wo-handled,
and of oil sizes, some being nearly three
feet in height, and drumming from that down
to as many inches. In shape they vary,
but are all exceedingly beautiful and
graceful, being made of q very fine black
ware, not lustrous, but slightly rough. On
this groundwork were inlaid figures much
more graceful and life-like than any others
I have seen on antique vases. Some OF
these inlafd pictures represented love
scenes, with a childlike simplicity and
freedom of n which would not COM
mend itself to the taste of the present, dny.
Others again were pictures OF maidens
dancing. and others again were hunting
scene For instance, the very vase from
which we were now drinking had on one
side a most spirited drawing of men, APP
parently white in color, attacking q bull
elephant with spears, while on the reverse
was a picture, not quite so well done, of u
hunter shooting an arrow at q running n
telope, I should say from the look Of it
either IN Gland or q koodoo.
This is q depression at a critical moment,
but 1t is not too long for tho occasion, for
the occasion itself was very long. With
the exception of the periodical passing of
the vase, and the movement necessary to
throw fuel on to the fire. nothing happened
for the best part of q whole hour. Nobody
spoke q word. There VIC all sat in perfect
silence. staring at the glare and glow of
the large fire, and at the shadows thrown
by the Pickering earthen lamps (Which,
by the way, We're not a%ncicnt). On the
open space between us and the fire lay q
large wooden tray, with four short handles
to it, exactly like a butchers tray, onlynot
followed out. BY tho side of the tray was
ITO be continued